Hey Baby
by threerainydays
Summary: He gave everyone a nickname. She'd noticed that much. But no one else's had been so… suggestive. A closer look at the real meaning behind Gaius' nickname for Olivia. Olivia/Gaius.
1. The Name Game

_For a long time now I've been working on this story off and on when the mood struck. More than a year has passed since I started this project, and only now is it ready to see the light of day. I've wanted to try my hand at a shorter chaptered story for some time now, and so I have four chapters planned for this one. Olivia and Gaius are two of my favorite characters from Awakening and I'm excited to be able to write both of them together in one story._

* * *

 **Hey Baby**

 **The Name Game**

The day ended without incident as the sun slowly approached the horizon. Faint shadows cast by the trees flickered softly in the fading light. Many of the Shepherds were retiring to their tents or getting ready to go out to the nearest town for the evening. Olivia was doing neither, instead settling in for a quiet night alone. Ever since the war started, it was even harder for the pink haired dancer to find a moment to herself when she could practice without an audience. She was about to go scout out a secret spot when someone approached her.

"Hey, baby!"

She turned in the direction of the voice and saw a man with orange hair and a black bandana tied around his forehead. Olivia checked to see if there was anyone behind her that he might have been calling out to, but it was only the two of them in the area. Turning back to the stranger, she said, "Gaius, isn't it?"

He nodded. "That's right. I was wondering if you'd do me a favor."

It hadn't been long since she'd joined the Shepherds, and Olivia didn't know all of her comrades very well yet. But she had heard of Gaius' former occupation as a thief (or current one, as Olivia was pretty sure that he'd gotten some of his sweets by more nefarious means). So it was with slight hesitancy that she asked, "What kind of favor?"

"Give this a taste test for me."

He held out his arms, and Olivia noticed the pie he was holding for the first time. It wasn't the nicest pie she'd seen, not by a long shot. The tinfoil pan it had been baked in was slightly dented on one side and the crust was a pale color that betrayed its soggy nature. There was also what looked like a thin layer of raw sugar coating the top of the pie, as if it had just been sprinkled on at the end.

And yet it had been so long since she'd last had a frosted fruit pie. Giving the pastry another look, she resigned herself. After all, how bad could it be?

"Sure, I'll try it," she said.

Gaius passed her the pie along with a fork, and Olivia took a bite out of it. She chewed it quickly at first, then slowed down after the taste started to kick in.

He frowned a little. "Well? How is it?"

She coughed. "Ah, it's… well, to be frank, it's so sweet that it's overwhelming. And the crust doesn't have a good crunch to it either." She cleared her throat again, wishing the pie had come with a glass of water.

"Oh… that bad, huh?" He said. "Because to tell you the truth, I made this myself."

"What?!" She said, eyes wide. "Oh no, I'm sorry! If I had known it was your pie I wouldn't have –"

"Easy there," he said, effectively stopping her multiple apologies. "No big deal, just means I gotta make it better next time. I didn't expect the first one to turn out so great anyway, but I wanted to get a second opinion. So really, don't feel so bad."

"Ah, um, if you say so," she said, a slight blush still tinging her cheeks pink. "I'm glad I could help, then."

"Trust me, you did." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "And, well, I was hoping you'd be willing to try more of my pies in the future. I promise they'll be tastier than this one, too. What do ya say?"

"Sure," she said. "I'd be honored."

Assuming that the conversation was over, Olivia turned to leave. A moment later, she heard Gaius say, "By the way, I recommend the area behind Frederick's tent. It's pretty secluded and I doubt anyone's gonna be passing by there."

"Oh, thank you," she replied. Then she stopped after realizing what he'd said. "Wait, Gaius!" She called, but he was already gone.

In spite of herself, Olivia ended up dancing in the place he had mentioned. The whole time she was blushing fiercely, because his comment could mean only one thing – Gaius knew about her secret dancing. And more importantly, he had seen her dancing, which was far more embarrassing than him just knowing about it.

"How do I get myself into these kind of situations…" she mumbled.

* * *

About a week passed before Gaius followed through on his promise. Olivia had managed to forget her embarrassment in the interim, but the memory came rushing back along with her blush as soon as she saw him walking towards her with another pie.

She watched him approach like a deer in the headlights, frantically trying to come up with an escape plan. This gave him more than enough time to make his way over to her, but before Gaius could say anything, Olivia suddenly found her voice. "Um, ah, I, uh," she said. "I'vegottago."

She tried to make a break for it and nearly did a Sumia when she tripped over a pebble. She would have landed face-first in the dirt if not for Gaius reaching out to catch her. He extended his arm and wrapped it around her waist, effectively stopping her fall.

Olivia would have thanked him if she hadn't noticed the pie he'd been holding seconds earlier slip from his grip. She watched it fall as if in slow motion, hoping against hope that it would land upright.

Of course it didn't, and she couldn't suppress a gasp as the edges of the pie pan clattered against the ground. "Gaius, I am SO sorry, I didn't –"

She stopped short as she realized how very close he was, his face only inches from hers. His arm was still around her, and she was suddenly grateful that he was helping support her weight since she felt a little less steady after noticing the situation.

He looked at her with concern. "You alright there, baby? Scared me there when you nearly took a nosedive. Reminded me a little too much of Stumbles to be honest."

"Ah, um, yes, I'm fine," she said, trying to look anywhere but at him. Thankfully, Gaius let her go and she took a few steps back, trying to calm her heart. "Thank you for helping me, um…"

Her gaze drifted back to the ruined pie on the ground and she involuntarily gasped again. Gaius looked down too and saw what she was so freaked out about. "Ah, shoot," he said, stooping down to pick up the remains.

Olivia bent down to help, her words blending together as she tried to apologize. "I'm so sorry, it's all my fault your pie got ruined! I'm sure it was better this time and I tried to run away because I was embarrassed that you knew about my dancing and it was really silly now that I think about it and –"

"Whoa, slow down there," Gaius said as he put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. Really. I just gotta make another one, right? Er, as long as you promise not to run away next time?"

"Okay," she said, standing up as they gathered the last of the pie. "And um, about my dancing…"

"I figured you were keeping it on the down low, seeing how shy you are," Gaius said. "Don't know why though, since you're so good, but I've kept it secret for you. Haven't told a soul. Feel better?"

She sighed in relief. "That's good. And also, about the pie. I'll make it up to you next time, okay?"

He grinned. "Deal. Take care of yourself, baby."

Olivia watched him go, feeling a lot better about the whole thing. Gaius really was rather nice when she thought about it, and it wasn't so bad getting a chance at free pies. She walked away humming to herself and went about the rest of her day in a better mood than usual.

* * *

Over the next several weeks, Gaius brought pies for her to sample every so often. His visits were unpredictable since it was never certain when he'd be able to get ingredients, but Olivia always brightened whenever he did show up. His pies got progressively better every time, and she really did delight in seeing him improve.

But outside of their little pie exchange, Olivia didn't interact with Gaius much. The thought crossed her mind one day that it was strange he chose her to be his pie critic, and she couldn't help but wonder why. There were plenty of other people who'd know more when it came to pies, she reasoned. Cordelia excelled at everything, and could no doubt be a baking genius if she put her mind to it. Sumia was always making pies for Chrom, so she would know a thing or two about them. And Miriel would definitely be able to figure out how to engineer the perfect pie considering how devoted she was to her experiments.

So why her? Gaius said it was because she was a dancer with supposedly more refined tastes, but Olivia wasn't sure that made her more valuable than all those other qualified people.

While she mulled over those thoughts, she started to notice Gaius around camp a lot more. He seemed to get along with just about everyone, she realized. He was easy to talk to, witty and clever, and good-looking on top of that. Olivia wasn't surprised he managed to attract attention, and even more so she wondered why he designated her as his pie expert.

It was in the process of observing him that she picked up on his nicknaming habit. She chuckled at some of them, admiring the way he put an original twist on his relationships with the others. Then she started to wonder what her nickname was.

Nothing came to mind immediately when she replayed their past conversations, and for a while she thought that maybe he didn't have one for her. She was a little disappointed, but felt comforted by the fact that Gaius didn't nickname everyone. Cherche was still Cherche and Sully was still Sully, so maybe Olivia would stay just Olivia too.

But… wait a minute, that wasn't quite right either. Had he ever called her Olivia? Had he ever said her name? There was something she was forgetting here, some puzzle piece she hadn't placed yet.

Not a day later the answer hit her. It was true that he never called her Olivia, because he did in fact have a nickname for her. And once she realized what it was, Olivia's cheeks turned a record shade of red.

* * *

He gave everyone a nickname. She'd noticed that much. Lissa's and Miriel's were straightforward enough. Sumia's was an obvious reference to her clumsiness. Chrom still raised an eyebrow every time he was addressed as "Blue," but even he had to admit it made sense (seriously, did he wear any other color?).

Olivia wasn't surprised that he had a nickname for her as well. But no one else's had been so… suggestive. As if she wasn't shy enough already, now she had another reason to blush down to her toes every time Gaius spoke to her. She hadn't even recognized it as his nickname for her until a few days ago, which was even more embarrassing considering he'd been calling her that for months.

Now it was all she could think about, and Olivia wasn't sure what to do. After all, wasn't that the kind of nickname reserved for, dare she say it, lovers? Why did he choose to call her that?

"Oh, there you go again, Olivia. Reading too much into everything," she mumbled to herself as she absentmindedly stirred the stew she was cooking.

Olivia was on kitchen duty that night, and with only her own embarrassing thoughts for company, she sometimes talked out loud to try and calm herself down. Although… that probably made it worse, because what if someone walked in and saw her talking to herself? What if they thought she was some kind of crazy person? Oh, that would be even more embarrassing, and then what would she do?

She turned her attention back to her previous train of thought, but found that it wasn't much better when _that topic_ was even more blush-inducing. She stirred the stew a little more vigorously than necessary as a distraction. "He probably doesn't mean anything by it," she said to reassure herself. "Maybe he's just being friendly?"

"A little too friendly if you ask me," she said in response. "Anyone would think he was overstepping the line, right?"

"Maybe you're just being paranoid, Olivia," she tried to rationalize. "Gaius is on good terms with a lot of people in this army. I don't think he'd try to make you feel uncomfortable by… by…"

Ding! Olivia jumped a little at the sound of the timer, signaling that the stew was done. She gave it a quick taste-test, nodding with satisfaction. She sighed as she got out the soup bowls and spoons.

"Well, I suppose there's no point worrying about it right now," she said. "And if Gaius starts to hint at anything more, I'll just have to tell him he's got the wrong idea!"

Olivia hid her face behind one of the bowls. "That is, if I've got the nerve to say that to him…"

She retrieved a ladle and evenly distributed the stew (except for Stahl's portion, which she put into a noticeably larger bowl than everyone else's). "But it's true that he doesn't call anyone else that," she reasoned. Then she paused. "Or does he?"

She bit her lip as she thought about it. "Does he call everyone that? Maybe he does, and I just haven't noticed?" Olivia nodded once, a determined (if slightly timid) look on her face. "Time to find out."

* * *

 _Next chapter: The return of the Olivia barrel!_


	2. The Olivia Barrel

_Thank you to everyone who showed interest in the first chapter! Here we are with chapter 2!_

* * *

 **Hey Baby**

 **The Olivia Barrel**

 _"_ _Does he call everyone that? Time to find out."_

Realizing this was a full-scale operation, Olivia decided to prepare accordingly to spy on Gaius. Something like this required a plan, and it was just as that thought occurred to her that she noticed the group of barrels lined up outside the supply tent. Most of them were stocked with food rations and other war supplies, but there was one barrel that remained gloriously empty.

A few minutes later, Olivia sat snugly inside the barrel. She'd taken the time to poke air holes and even cut out a strategic viewing panel at eye level so she could observe everyone that passed by.

It was in this perfect disguise that she waited every day for about an hour at around the time she knew Gaius usually passed through the center of camp. Some days were fruitless and she didn't see anything of interest, but Olivia was patient.

Besides, it was interesting to learn more about what her fellow Shepherds did in their downtime (except Frederick, who never seemed to take any downtime for himself. Olivia felt more than a little guilty that he'd doubled his pebble sweeping efforts ever since he got wind of her little tripping accident). As it turned out, Gaius was full of surprises. For two weeks Olivia watched him, and what she saw never failed to amuse her.

On two occasions she saw him talking with Sumia. He was mumbling something about honey, at which Sumia got excited and started going off on a tangent about bee larvae. Olivia was impressed that Sumia knew so much about such exotic delicacies as bee larvae, but Gaius didn't seem quite as interested. Still, even though he seemed annoyed with her at times, he treated Sumia kindly which confirmed Olivia's thought that he really was very nice.

Several times she saw him with Cordelia, who wasted no time reprimanding him for his appearance. Olivia didn't think Gaius was as sloppy as Cordelia made him out to be, but she did have to agree that the turkey leg he kept was looking past its prime. The barrels had been moved farther back on the day of Cordelia's stain-removing lesson, and as a result Olivia couldn't quite hear what they were saying. And so Cordelia's laundry secrets remained secret, which Olivia decided was probably for the best. After his meetings with Cordelia, Gaius did seem a little neater, which made him even easier on the eyes.

He also seemed just a little flirtier with her than Sumia, which made Olivia think that maybe she was overreacting about his nickname for her. But he called Cordelia by her name, and the affectionate endearments he used on Olivia were absent from their interactions, which made her go right back to rationalizing that the observations weren't quite done yet.

She saw Gaius helping Lissa a few times, which was a good thing considering Olivia had almost jettisoned her espionage mission after seeing Lissa attempting to sew. It was mesmerizing to watch, in a morbid sort of way, and Olivia was amazed at just how many times someone could prick themselves trying to thread a needle through fabric. Gaius was just as patient with Lissa as he was with Sumia, and Olivia was pleasantly surprised to see how skilled he was at sewing.

On the last day, she saw him with Libra. Olivia had to stifle her laughter seeing Gaius blasphemously praying for sweets, thinking that it was so like him. Libra seemed exasperated with Gaius' antics, but the priest kept his cool and took it all in stride. Before she could see any more, Olivia overheard someone nearby talking about how the barrels were going to be moved in a few hours in preparation for packing up camp the next day. As soon as the coast was clear, she carefully extracted herself from her hiding spot and left to think about everything she'd seen.

* * *

The water was warm as Olivia relaxed in the bath. It was always nice to settle in for a long soak, but even nicer after sitting in a cramped barrel for days on end. She leaned back and blew bubbles on the surface, her long hair pooling around her.

She'd learned a lot about Gaius in the time she'd spent watching him, but even after all that she wasn't sure what to think about him. It was clear he only used that nickname with her, and she didn't know what to do about it. She didn't like how it made her blush every time, but… she didn't exactly dislike it when he called her that either. So then what should she do?

Olivia sighed, dipping her hands under the water and bringing a handful back up to the open air. She let it slip through her fingers, and said out loud, "I think I'm thinking about this too much."

She stood up and reached for her towel. It wasn't good to stay in the bath so long anyway. She finished dressing herself and wrapped the towel around her shoulders to prevent her hair from soaking her clothes. She was almost to her tent when she heard someone call out to her.

"Hey, baby!"

She already knew who it was, and felt a familiar blush creep onto her cheeks. But she was determined to be brave, and it was with that noble (if somewhat timid) thought that she turned to face Gaius with a smile on her face.

"Hi there, Gaius. Oh wait, no," she said, turning away again. She attempted to hide her face behind one hand, but it wasn't working too well. "Don't look at me, I haven't even dried my hair yet. Oh gods, I must look terrible…"

"On the contrary, I think you look quite nice. Very refreshed," he said, at which Olivia blushed scarlet.

"You're just saying that," she mumbled as she tried to scoot sideways into her tent. "But I really should at least brush my hair before… whatever you were going to tell me."

Gaius shrugged. "Hey, it wasn't anything important. I just wanted to talk."

"About what?" She asked, holding the tent flap open.

"Do I need a reason?" He said. "I like talking to you."

"Oh," she said, a bit at a loss for words. She might have stood there for another minute or so thinking about the implications of his statement if she wasn't dead set on ending the conversation as quickly as possible.

Gaius looked at her for a bit, then cracked a smile. "Are you still worried about your hair?"

She felt her blush increase as she nodded. "Am I that easy to read?" She asked.

"Only sometimes," he said. "I really don't mind, but if it bothers you that much, let me fix it."

Olivia's eyes widened. "Oh no, really, I'm fine. You can just… go…"

Her words trailed off as Gaius took the tent flap from her and gestured that she go inside. "I insist," he said. "So gimme your brush and take a seat out here."

"Okay," she said in a small voice. Retrieving her brush from her bedside, she went back outside and sat on the chair he had indicated.

Olivia wasn't sure what she expected when Gaius offered to fix her hair, but it was definitely a surprise when he proved himself to be especially good at it. He dried her hair with the towel, his hands kneading her scalp in a soothing way. She sighed almost inaudibly, feeling the tension leave her shoulders as she relaxed. Setting the towel down in her lap, Gaius picked up the brush and got to work.

Starting from the bottom, Gaius patiently untangled the knots without fighting them or tugging at her hair. He continued to work his way through her wavy pink strands with the brush, using his free hand to hold the bunch he was currently working on. Needless to say, Olivia was impressed. Most people made the easy mistake of brushing from the top of the head down, but she had learned from experience that doing so only resulted in a lot of unnecessary yanking. Knots were best smoothed out from the ends of the hair, and Gaius was doing an exceptional job of it.

"You're really good at this," she commented.

"Hey, I'm good for more than just thieving and baking pies, you know," he said.

"So I see," she agreed. "You're as good with your hands as people say you are."

"People say that about me?" He asked.

"Well, no," she blushed again. It's not like she could just come out and say that she had been spying on him. "That's what I say."

"Really?" He said.

By then he had finished with the hair in the back and had moved to her front. It made the whole situation easier for Olivia when Gaius was standing behind her so she didn't have to focus on him directly. But now that he was right in front of her, it was hard not to look at him. He smoothed her bangs to the side, fully concentrated on getting it just right. Despite the black bandana he always wore, his hair was falling into his face. Olivia thought it must have been difficult to see when there was hair in his eyes, and she automatically reached out to smooth his hair to the side.

Gaius grinned. "Thanks. Appreciate it, babe."

Olivia blushed, but the shyness she felt was different from all the times prior. Before she could dwell on it too long, Gaius had finished with her bangs and had moved to the side.

She turned a little in confusion. "Wait, aren't you done?"

He twirled the brush between his fingers, a gleam in his eyes. "Well, I know you'll probably just take it all out again when you go to sleep, but I was planning on putting it up for you like usual. I doubt I'll get the chance to play with your hair again, so I figured why not go all out?"

He gathered her hair up in a high ponytail and went to work on the two braids she always wore on either side. He braided her hair as she sat there, hands in her lap.

"So, listen," he said. "I know you've been watching me."

Olivia didn't think her blush could get any worse, but Gaius always seemed to know just what to say to make her defenses crumble. "Um, ah, I'm sorry –"

"I'm not mad," he said, and she relaxed a little. "Just a little amused. Thought it was cute how serious you looked in your barrel."

"How'd you know it was me?" She asked in a small voice.

"Always felt like someone was watching. And you labeled the barrel with your name, so..."

She laughed. "I guess that was a little silly."

He secured the second braid with a hair tie and stepped back. "There, all finished" he said. "Just so you know though, in the future you can just let me know if you wanna spend some time with ol' Gaius, okay baby? Stay put, I'll get you a mirror."

Her eyes followed his back as he left. She fidgeted in her seat for a bit, unsure of what to do while she waited. Careful not to ruin it, she reached up to touch her hair, admiring Gaius' handiwork. She held one braid between her thumb and index finger, tracing her way down to the end. She could tell that he'd parted the three strands evenly, something even she didn't always do. The braid was neither too tight nor too loose, but just the right level of firmness to hold itself in place while still looking stylish.

"Here you go."

She hadn't heard him return and jumped a little at the sound of his voice. Gaius handed her a small mirror and she murmured a soft thank you. She held it up to her face, hardly daring to believe what she saw.

"It looks great," she said.

" _You_ look great," he corrected.

Olivia stuttered a few modest denials as her cheeks burned at the compliment. How did he manage to say such things so easily without batting an eye? "I think you've done it better than me," she said.

"Nah," he said, waving his hand. "I rushed it a bit, it's nothing compared to your usual."

She giggled, at which he looked surprised but also pleased. "Now you're starting to sound like me," she said. "Honestly, Gaius, thank you. I really appreciate it."

"Oh yeah?" He said, a grin spreading across his face. "I'm glad."

"Um!" She said. An idea had suddenly come to her. A bold idea, so bold that Olivia wasn't sure if she had the nerve to voice it. Actually, maybe it was a bad idea so it would be better if she didn't. But Gaius was looking at her expectantly, waiting for her to say something. So now she had to say something, because she couldn't back out now. She'd come too far, and she was going to say it even if he laughed at her!

"Right," she muttered to herself. "You can do this, Olivia."

Gaius politely pretended not to hear her giving herself a pep-talk, for which Olivia was grateful. "Um, I was wondering if maybe you could do my hair again sometime. That is, if you'd like to and it's not too much trouble and you… want to," she said, whispering the last part.

"Sure thing, baby," he said immediately. "Just say the word. I can get really creative if you're interested. I should be able to pick up a couple of hair clips and ribbons at the market, too."

Her eyes lit up hopefully. "Really? Wow, that's too much…"

"Not at all," he said, a similar look on his face. "It'd be my pleasure."

"Are you sure it's not a bother? You do all these things for me, baking pies, brushing my hair… it's all so much," she admitted. "And I just feel guilty taking up your time like this, so…"

Gaius placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned down a little so their eyes were on the same level. She blushed, but couldn't look away because he held her in place. "I told you, I like spending time with you. Is that so hard to believe? And I think…"

"Yes?" She whispered, hardly daring to breathe.

He reached out to touch her hair, running his hand down her braid. "You should have more confidence in yourself, baby."

She managed a nod, and he smiled kindly at her. There was a strange ache in her heart as he let go that for once wasn't related to his use of her nickname.

"So, I'll see you later?" He asked.

"I'd like that," she said. "And thank you. For everything you said. I really appreciate it and, well, I'll do my best."

Gaius smiled. "Take care, baby."

Olivia waved goodbye and slipped into her tent, her mind still spinning from the conversation. Even if she was still embarrassed, she didn't dislike his touch. As she settled in for the night, Olivia couldn't help but think back to the moment he'd touched her hair, his fingers brushing against her cheek for the briefest of moments.

* * *

 _Next chapter: An unexpected turn of events?! Tharja makes an appearance!_


	3. The New Approach

_A big thank you to EmeraldDragonxo, you always have such kind things to say and your reviews give me life. I'd love to hear more from everyone else too, what are your thoughts on the story thus far?_

* * *

 **Hey Baby**

 **The New Approach**

"Okay, so Plan A didn't work," Olivia said aloud as she brushed her hair the next morning. She patiently untangled one of the knots and continued to work her way through the wavy pink strands, a brooding look on her face all the while.

She was starting to wonder if maybe it wasn't just Gaius' nickname for her that got her so flustered every time he spoke. Still… knowing that didn't help since she wasn't sure what she wanted to do about it.

She expertly secured her usual high ponytail in place before going to work on her braids. Her fingers deftly maneuvered the strands of hair; left, right, and over again. But as she did, she remembered the way Gaius had brushed her hair the night before. Olivia couldn't remember the last time she'd received such loving attention from someone, not since there'd been so much civil unrest between the neighboring countries.

No one had brushed her hair like that in years, and the feeling was almost painfully nostalgic. Gaius always seemed to see her at her most vulnerable, but somehow she cared less and less every time he caught her unawares.

Was there something special between the two of them? Were they… dare she say it again… lovers? Was that why she felt this way?

"Maybe… maybe we are lovers?" She said, blushing as soon as the words were out of her mouth. "I never heard anything about it, but why else would he be acting this way?"

"You're jumping to conclusions again," she chided herself. "But if it _is_ true..."

Olivia frowned slightly as she thought about it some more. "Well, if that's how it is, then I suppose the best thing to do would be to play my part convincingly!" She promptly hid her face in her hands. "Oh, let this be over…"

She took a few deep breaths to calm herself, thinking hard. If she was really going to go through with this, she needed help. And Olivia knew just who to ask.

* * *

Olivia didn't think Maribelle's shock therapy would amount to anything at the time, but when she considered the problem at hand it seemed like all the training she'd gone through wouldn't go to waste. After all, chatting up noblemen wasn't that different from chatting up Gaius, really. It was with this resolve that she willingly went to Maribelle for help, much to the latter's surprise and delight.

She carefully avoided mentioning Gaius and the recent confusion she felt around him, but as it turned out she didn't need to. Maribelle promised to respect Olivia's right to privacy regarding her personal affairs, for which she was grateful.

The two reviewed some new material, practiced their lines on a few unwitting strangers in town (again), and Olivia felt confident that she'd be ready to approach Gaius again before the week was over.

In the meantime, the man in question had continued to hone both his skills as a pie baker and as a hairstylist. Olivia found herself seeking out Gaius just as often as he sought her, and she truly enjoyed the time they spent together. She came to look forward to those early morning meetings when she'd wait for him to come fix her hair. Seated comfortably outside her tent, Olivia hummed to herself.

Her vision suddenly went dark. She panicked at first, then realized it was a pair of hands covering her eyes. That thought wasn't much more comforting, and all her panic came rushing back until she heard a distinctive voice say, "Guess who."

"Gaius," she breathed a sigh of relief. He lifted his hands and moved to sit down in front of her. She tried to look threatening as she said, "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Surprise?" He said, a grin on his face.

She laughed. "I suppose I can forgive you."

"Didn't mean to be late," he said. "I've got everything all set. You'll look great."

Olivia sat down, hands folded in her lap as Gaius lay out all the materials he brought. There were a few ribbons of varying color as well as an assortment of clips and pins.

He noticed her watching. "Like it? I was hoping you'd be impressed."

"They're all so nice," she said, still taking it all in. "Be honest, this was expensive wasn't it?"

He began to untangle the knots in her hair and she immediately relaxed at the familiar sensation. Gaius chuckled, and she frowned. "Hey, you're just trying to distract me!"

"Guilty," he admitted. "It wasn't all that much, I swear. And I got it all legitimately too, in case you were worried."

"I wasn't thinking about that," she said, and it was true. "I trust you, Gaius."

"You're one of the few," he murmured.

What he said bothered her, to say the least. "I do," she insisted. "You're so nice to me and I'm sure everyone else knows how good you are too."

"You've got a lot of faith in me, considering my line of work. But then again, can't say I mind that you like having me around."

Olivia remained quiet, mulling over his words. She'd been unsure about Gaius in the beginning, knowing nothing about him except that he was a thief who'd been bribed with candy to join the Shepherds. But she'd also been willing to give him a chance, to put her trust in him to see that he really was a good person. After all, someone who baked pies and brushed her hair and encouraged her to have confidence in herself couldn't be that bad.

"I think you're great," she said, and for once her voice didn't waver. "No matter what anyone else says about you."

She felt him pause, then he slowly resumed his work. "That means a lot to me," he said quietly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she replied softly.

Neither spoke for a while, and Olivia enjoyed the feeling of his fingers combing through her hair. She let her eyes wander, and noticed a few people turning to look as they passed by. This wasn't unusual and in truth she'd grown somewhat used to people watching whenever Gaius came by to style her hair. But she felt embarrassed about attracting so much attention, wondering what people thought when they saw her and Gaius, _together_ , him brushing her hair in a way that betrayed the subtle intimacy of the situation.

Gaius seemed to notice her discomfort. "Something wrong, baby?"

The now-familiar nickname only further increased her anxiety and she wrung her hands together nervously. "It's just… people are staring, you know? They might think –"

"Let them think what they want," he said. Leaning down to look at her, he added, "Besides, it's none of their business, is it?"

"O-oh," she mumbled. "But –"

"What happened to not caring about what anyone else says?" He teased. "They're just jealous of how beautiful you are. Here, see for yourself."

Before she could protest further, he handed her a mirror. She gasped at what she saw.

Gaius had crafted a simple braid that ran down the length of her back. The hair she usually reserved for her matching side braids looped back into the middle of it, the braid itself adorned with tiny jewels. Olivia angled the mirror this way and that, marveling at his handiwork.

"I can't believe it… wow. Thank you," she whispered.

"I'm glad you like it," he said. "And for what it's worth, don't worry about everyone else. Just be you."

She looked up at him, humbled by the compliment. "You mean it?"

"Of course," he said. "Look, I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again. I don't know why you feel so insecure about yourself, because you shouldn't. You're perfect just the way you are, baby."

Her eyes widened, a wave of gratitude washing over her at his words. A blush colored her, but she held his gaze. It wasn't every day someone said something so sweet and genuine to her, and Olivia was at a loss for what to say. But she wanted him to understand how much he meant to her, and so it was with a wide smile that she said, "Thank you, Gaius."

His eyes softened as he smiled back at her. He glanced down for a second, then looked back at her. He inhaled and said –

"Gaius! Am I doing this right?"

Olivia jumped a little at the sound of Chrom's voice. Gaius sighed in annoyance. "Of all the moments," he muttered. "Listen, babe, there's –"

"Er, Gaius?" Lissa peeked around the corner. "Chrom's looking for you. Something about oranges…"

Gaius grumbled in defeat. "Yeah, yeah, I'm on it."

"What's going on?" Olivia asked, mildly intrigued. "Are you two working on something?"

He nodded, gathering up the hair clips he'd set aside. "Unfortunately. I tried showing Blue how to peel an orange the other day. Now I'm regretting it. See ya later, baby."

She waved goodbye, her heart still beating loudly in her chest. But whether it was from surprise or something else she wasn't sure.

* * *

A few tents down, a dark-haired mage stared down into a cauldron, muttering a few words as she added the last ingredients for her spell. The mixture bubbled and a thin layer of steam escaped into the air above it. "This time for sure," she said. "Now all I need is someone to test it on. That man should suffice."

A thin smile spread across her lips as she giggled at the thought.

* * *

Several days later, Olivia was preparing to go ahead with her plan. She and Maribelle had perfected their craft down to a science, and Olivia knew she couldn't delay any longer. She'd been putting things off after the last time she and Gaius had met up because of how confused her feelings had become. It was getting harder and harder to decide whether or not she was doing this in order to prove a point to him or herself.

"You can do this," she repeated the mantra as she paced back and forth. "You can do this, Olivia."

"But what if I can't?" She whispered in a small voice. "What if it's me who's got the wrong idea about all of this? Then I'd just be making it worse and… oh no…"

"You've come this far," she told herself. "So it's only right that you go through with it."

"Okay," she said uneasily. It was all well and good that she could talk herself into these things, but maybe she was a little too convincing. Olivia was hesitating again, and she shook her head firmly to get rid of those doubts.

"Gaius told you to have confidence," she reminded herself.

"I'm not sure this is quite what he had in mind," she mumbled. But she went off to look for him anyway.

She found him outside the supply tent, cheerfully snacking on some candied figs. Mustering up all her courage, she waved and called out to him. "Gaius!"

He looked up and returned the gesture, a lazy grin on his face. "Hey, baby."

"Good morning, Gaius. Um, hi."

Not her best showing, but it was a start. Now she just had to make eye contact. Olivia slowly looked up to meet his gaze, determined not to shy away. Gaius stared coolly back. Something seemed off about him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Need me for something?" He asked. "I have a feeling there was something I was supposed to be doing, but…"

He leaned in and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "I won't say no if it's you wanting my attention."

Olivia's eyes widened. Such a bold move! Had he read her mind? Did he know what she was trying to do? Clearly, she had to up her game in order to compete. Skipping her carefully planned lead-in, she went straight for the punch line. "Ah, um, you must be a broom, because you just swept me off my feet!"

The delivery was somewhat lacking, but it'd take more than a surprise attack to trip her up. This is what she'd prepared for after all, and Olivia wasn't backing down without a fight!

Gaius' arm slipped down to her waist, and he pulled her closer. Olivia was reminded of when he prevented her from falling and couldn't stop the blush that colored her cheeks. "Oh yeah?" He said. "Guess I'll have to do it again so you end up in my arms more often, beautiful."

"Y-you're so good-looking, I forgot my pick-up line!"

"You don't say? Look as long as you like, I'm here all day."

"C-can I have directions to your heart?"

He took her hand and placed it over his chest, squeezing her fingers ever so slightly. "Baby, you can _have_ my heart."

Olivia was stunned. Sure, she'd expected him to react positively, but this was downright weird. "G-Gaius, are you alright? You seem a little… strange, somehow," she said, eyes scanning him for any signs of injury.

"Strange how?" He asked. "I've got you with me. I couldn't be better."

Concern replaced embarrassment as she placed her hands on his face. There was definitely something wrong with him, if the dreamy look in his eyes was any indication. It was almost like he was under a spell of some kind…

Gaius suddenly wrapped his arms around her, a mischievous grin on his face. "Making a move on me, are you? You're so daring today." He winked. "I like it."

He closed his eyes and leaned in towards her. Olivia's eyes widened and her mind went into panic mode. He was going to kiss her and she wasn't at all ready and she had to do something to stop him because he obviously wasn't in his right state of mind.

She pushed him away, stumbling backwards in shock. Gaius collapsed on the spot. Olivia gasped.

"I didn't think I pushed him _that_ hard," she said. She knelt down next to him, shaking him gently. "Gaius? Gaius! Can you hear me?"

He wasn't responding, and she was just about to call a healer when he let out a soft snore. She exhaled in relief.

"Looks like the fail-safe activated in time," a voice said.

Olivia turned around and identified the dark-haired woman who spoke. "Tharja! Can you help me? Gaius passed out and we need to get him back to his tent."

"Tch, still causing trouble, even in sleep. Leave him to me, I've got a hex that'll transport him. He should make it in one piece."

Her comment worried Olivia, but she didn't think the dark mage would hurt Gaius, at least not while he was lying defenseless. "Do you know what's wrong with him?" She asked. "He was acting so strange earlier."

"Nothing to worry about," Tharja said dismissively. She muttered a few words and Gaius' body rose to float a few feet above the ground. With a flick of her finger he slowly moved in the direction of his tent. Olivia's eyes widened as she watched, both mesmerized and a little frightened by Tharja's magic.

"Now that he's taken care of, I have a… proposition to make," she said.

"What is it?" Olivia asked hesitantly. She'd seen Tharja in battle, giggling after casting a particularly nasty curse on the enemy. Olivia was more than a little unnerved by how gleeful she seemed at the prospect of hurting others, and wondered what Tharja wanted from her.

"I've been watching you lately and know about your little struggle with Gaius. I've got the perfect hex to help you deal with him," she said, a gleam in her eyes. "All I need is a lock of your hair."

"I don't know," Olivia said, eyeing her warily. "You cursed him earlier, didn't you? How do I know you're not doing this to get revenge on him or something?"

"You're a sharp one," Tharja said, looking a little annoyed. "Yes, I cursed him, but it wasn't anything he didn't have coming. And as you saw for yourself, he's fine. Didn't hurt him at all, unfortunately."

"So, about earlier… he won't remember?"

"Clean memory wipe," she confirmed. "So really, what's to lose by accepting my little offer?"

"What are you planning to do to me?"

A thin smile appeared on Tharja's face, and Olivia gulped nervously. "So you are interested," she said, sounding pleased. "I heard you mumbling to yourself the other day, something about lacking confidence. I've got just the curse to help you express yourself more freely."

"B-but will I remember afterwards? And will I be in control of myself?"

"You sure do ask a lot of questions," Tharja said, irritation setting back in. "Yes, I'll make it so that you keep your memories. Can't do anything for your second request though. This curse requires… mm, how shall I put this… bringing out a different side of you that wouldn't otherwise surface. Put simply, I have to put your dominant conscience to sleep in order for it to work."

"I think I understand," Olivia said. "But, well, I don't know…"

Tharja regarded her closely. "You want to make progress with him, don't you? Maybe my magic is just the push you need to take the next step."

Olivia frowned, deep in thought, then nodded. "One last thing," she said. "This hex of yours… it won't hurt Gaius, will it?"

Tharja rolled her eyes. "You really do care about him, don't you? Yeah, yeah, he'll be fine, now do you want my help or not?"

"Alright," Olivia said, still feeling a little unsure about the whole thing. She plucked out a pink strand of hair and passed it to Tharja.

The dark mage nodded with satisfaction, stashing the hair away in a small pouch. "Come by my tent tomorrow morning. I'll have the hex prepared by then."

* * *

 _Next chapter: The sweet conclusion and one last pie!_


	4. The Sweetness After

_And so we come to the sweet conclusion of Hey Baby. My parting words are at the end, enjoy the last chapter!_

* * *

 **Hey Baby**

 **The Sweetness After**

There. It was finished. The pie he'd spent the past two hours perfecting was cooling nicely on the stovetop. Gaius grinned, proud of how well it had turned out. True, he'd been so obsessed with getting it right that he'd been seeing pies in his dreams for the past few weeks. But it had all been worth it, especially considering the reason he'd made this pie. Or more specifically, who he made it for.

Thanks to Tharja's curse, he couldn't remember what happened yesterday afternoon. He vaguely recalled going to sneak an extra helping of candy after lunch, and then the next thing he knew he was waking up in his tent, the sun already sinking below the horizon. He figured it was Tharja's doing, but didn't care enough to bother confronting her about it.

He was putting the finishing touches on his masterpiece when he heard a timid hello from behind him. Gaius smiled a little, because who else could it be but Olivia?

"Hey baby," he said without turning around. "I'm almost done here, just gimme a sec."

Gaius expected to hear a flustered yes in response. Instead he felt a pair of arms encircle his waist and heard a small sigh as she rested her cheek against his back. He all but froze on the spot.

A light blush spread across his cheeks as he cleared his throat. "That you, baby? What are you doing?"

"Nothing," she said into his back.

"Oookay, I wouldn't really call this nothing," he said as he attempted to twist himself around to look at her. "Is something wrong?"

"No," she mumbled. "I just like being close to you."

Gaius blinked, surprised not by the words, but by who was saying them. "Whoa, where did that come from?"

She only hugged him tighter, and his eyes widened. "Um, babe, could you let go for a moment?"

She released her hold on him and he turned around. It was definitely Olivia, he was certain of that. She looked normal, but Gaius hadn't ruled out foul play just yet.

"You feeling alright?" He asked again.

"I feel just fine," she said. There was an extended pause during which she seemed to be contemplating something. Finally, she said, "Baby."

Gaius nearly tripped over himself. "You talking to me?" He managed.

She nodded. "That's what you call me, so that's what I'll call you," she said. She looked up at him in concern. "Do you not like it?"

"Er, it's not that I don't like it," he said, feeling more confused than ever. "I'm just curious about what brought it on that's all."

"Well," she said. "It just seemed like the right thing to do."

Now he was really confused. "Wait, what?"

"Maybe this will work better," she said, almost as if she were talking more to herself than to him.

Before he could think too long about what she'd said, Olivia stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. The usual Olivia would have been blushing fiercely by this point, but today she was bold and assertive in a way completely unlike the shy girl he thought he knew. Gaius was seriously starting to wonder if someone had spiked the juice at breakfast that morning, because this was getting way past weird.

"Are you –"

He couldn't even finish his question before suddenly her lips were on his and she was kissing him so passionately Gaius lost all sense of thought. He closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss, which lasted for another five seconds before she pulled away.

He was just thinking that now was as good a time as ever to either confirm her feelings or call a doctor when a dark blur of movement outside the window caught his eye. Untangling himself from Olivia, he managed to get to the window just in time to see someone running away. Well, that confirmed it.

After a few carefully censored swear words, Gaius composed himself and turned his attention back to Olivia. "Sorry, baby, but I've got something to take care of. You'll be back to your old self just as soon as I have a talk with a certain meddling someone. Stay put, got it?"

Before she could do anything else, Gaius dashed outside, trying not to get too distracted thinking about how soft her lips had been pressed up against his.

* * *

Olivia woke up to the feeling of someone pressing a cool towel to her forehead. It felt nice, and she slowly opened her eyes.

"Oh good, you're awake."

"Maribelle?" Olivia blinked, feeling a little disoriented as she looked around. "What happened?"

Maribelle helped her sit up, offering her a glass of water which she took gratefully. "Tell me what you remember," she said, leaning back.

Olivia sipped from the glass, the water cooling her throat nicely. She tried to think back, recalling that Tharja had said she would remember what she did. "Tharja put a curse on me. I went to see Gaius, and… oh no!" She hid her face in her hands, blushing fiercely as the memories rushed back all at once. "The things I said! The things I did! Maribelle, please tell me that didn't just happen."

"I'm afraid it did," she said with a bit of a smile. "Gaius carried you here and said you passed out after he got Tharja to remove the curse. He wanted me to make sure you were alright when you woke up."

"I can't believe that just happened," she mumbled, voice muffled behind the pillow she was now burying her face in.

Maribelle sighed and stroked her back soothingly. "Honestly, if I'd known what you were planning to do from the start I wouldn't have told you to say such ridiculous things."

She looked up. "What do you mean?"

Maribelle smiled a little. "Haven't you noticed? Gaius only has eyes for you, darling."

Olivia nearly passed out again. "W-what are you saying? That Gaius… likes me? Like _that?_ "

"Interpret it how you will," Maribelle said, looking much too pleased with herself as she stood up to leave. Her expression softened a little. "I am glad to see you're alright, Olivia. Rest well."

She nodded mutely, replaying the conversation over and over in her head. "So I was right. Just not in the way I thought."

She lay back down and closed her eyes. "So Gaius likes me," she repeated. Her cheeks flushed at the thought, but she found she didn't dislike the feeling.

* * *

Gaius was no stranger to tight situations – as a thief, he'd experienced more than his fair share of close calls and narrow escapes. But his current problem was a little different from the days when he used to break into homes that were most certainly not his. There wasn't any of the usual danger involved this time, but he would have gladly traded in for those old life-threatening escapades if it meant he didn't have to deal with the aftermath of what had happened with Olivia.

…Damn. Tharja just had to go and throw a wrench in his plans, didn't she? It wouldn't have bothered him as much if she'd just tried to curse him like usual. But no, she just had to go and use Olivia.

He sighed as he smoothed his hair back and deftly tied his bandana into place. He stared at his reflection in the water basin before splashing some of the cold water onto his face.

She knew. She definitely knew. He didn't care so much about what happened to himself, but when it came to Olivia... Tharja probably realized it would get to him if she used her, and dammit it had worked.

Gaius could only guess how mortified Olivia would be once she figured out what had happened. He could just picture her face, tomato red from blushing. He chuckled at the thought, but his laughter quickly died as he wondered just how the hell he could fix things.

He sat down outside his tent, feeling the early morning breeze brush past him. He imagined how her hair would look, gently blowing in the wind. He could almost hear her embarrassed laugh at the way she'd shyly sweep her hair away from her eyes.

Gaius put his face in his hands and groaned. There was no denying it at this point; he had it bad.

* * *

Olivia found Gaius hunched over with his head in his hands. She thought it was an odd thinking position, and then got worried that maybe he had a headache.

She lightly tapped him on the shoulder. "Gaius?"

He looked up at the sound of her voice. He seemed tired, which she thought was strange considering it was barely 8 in the morning, but he still managed to smile at her.

"Hey, baby," he said softly. "You doing okay?"

"That's what I was going to ask you," she said. "I thought maybe you were in pain and needed help."

He grinned. "I'm still surviving." His expression turned serious and he said, "About yesterday, I'm guessing you remember what happened?"

She nodded, her cheeks warming at the memory. "Listen, Gaius, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to –"

"It's not your fault Tharja cursed you," he argued. "If anything I'm sorry she used you that way."

Olivia looked at her hands. "Actually, she offered to curse me."

Gaius' eyes widened. "And you accepted."

"Um, yeah."

"Why the hell would you do that?" He asked incredulously. "No offense, but Sunshine's a little crazy in my opinion."

"Well, see the thing is, she did it to help me. I'm always so nervous, but if she cursed me then I'd be able to be confident around you."

"I… see," Gaius said, clearly still coming to terms with the fact that Olivia had willingly subjected herself to Tharja's hexes.

"And, um, there's something else," she said, a small smile on her face. "About that kiss yesterday, I don't regret it."

"Y-you don't?" He stuttered. "Why not?"

"Because I think I like you, Gaius. And if I'm right, you like me too, don't you?"

She was still nervous, but there was an aura of confidence about her that hadn't been there before. She looked as amazing as she did when she was dancing, and Gaius thought she had never looked more beautiful.

He reached out to take her hand. "Yeah. I really do. I like you a lot, Olivia."

She gasped. "That's the first time you've said my name."

Gaius raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"That's the other thing I wanted to talk about," she said, the words tumbling out before she could stop herself. "Because you always nickname people, and at first I thought you didn't have one for me, but then I realized that you do and it was embarrassing in the beginning but then I… liked it. And then I was confused because maybe then that meant that we were something more than friends and maybe I just never heard about it but now it doesn't matter so much because I do like you, so…"

Gaius chuckled, but not unkindly. Olivia couldn't help but laugh a little too. "Sorry I'm not explaining it well," she murmured.

"Not at all," he said with an easy grin. "I'm just glad that you feel comfortable around me now."

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He was still holding her hand, and she appreciated the way he squeezed it ever so slightly to reassure her that it was okay. "You call me

'baby,'" she whispered, and it felt good to finally admit it after so long. "And I thought it was too familiar at first, given that we barely knew each other. Now I don't mind so much, but before…"

"Ah," he said, comprehension dawning on him. "So that's what it was, huh?"

He stood up and placed a kiss to her forehead, and she felt warmth flood her cheeks at the gesture.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I only ever wanted to get to know you better, but I saw how shy you were and wasn't sure how to approach you. So, I just watched for a while. Didn't say anything, I just kind of observed." He winked at her. "Seems like we both had the same idea, huh?"

She nodded wordlessly. He ran his fingers through her hair in an absentminded sort of way, and she leaned into his touch.

"And then, somewhere along the way I started falling for you," he murmured. "I was making you another pie yesterday when you snuck up on me. Sure was surprising to see you being so forward."

"Ah, another thing," she spoke up. "Two days ago, Tharja cursed you and I, um, tried to use pick-up lines on you. It didn't work because you weren't yourself, but, well, I thought you should know."

"Too bad," he said, his grin slipping back into place. "I would have liked to remember that."

She smiled. "I might have one more for you," she said, giggling as Gaius wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Oh yeah?"

She closed her eyes as he leaned down to kiss her. This kiss was different from the one she'd given him yesterday. Their lips moved together softly, and Olivia liked the way he tasted sweet like sugar.

They parted just enough for her to say, "You may fall from the sky, you may fall from a tree, but the best way to fall… is in love with me."

* * *

 _And that's a wrap! I enjoyed writing a shorter story for a change, and this one was definitely a lot of fun. In case anyone feels like they didn't get an actual explanation as to why Gaius calls Olivia "baby," here's my reasoning for this story – I imagine that even before Gaius consciously recognized that he liked Olivia, the nickname was kind of a subconscious gesture that indicated how his feelings towards her were of a more romantic nature._

 _Let me know what you thought, I always love to hear from people, even if it's just one sentence. As always, thanks for reading!_


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